How to Get Your College Professors and Peers to Hate You

10 Tips on How to Be the Center of Attention in Any College Classroom

Shannon Lausch
It's not easy being right all of the time. Colleges can be a cesspool of misinformation and ignorance. To combat this plague, you need to constantly share your opinions and worldview with your college class. If you don't heed this call, you're condemning your peers and professors to a lifetime of being sheeple. You wouldn't want that to happen, would you? Follow these ten tips to getting your voice heard in all your college courses.

1. Tell your favorite anecdotes-again and again

College classrooms have the tendency to suck the life out of learning. Consider it your personal duty to enliven the atmosphere. You have led a fulfilling life and have many stories to impart to your fellow peers who-bless them-lack life experience. It doesn't matter if you're the youngest one in the class; you're the most worldly one there. Anytime the professor mentions something you can vaguely connect to your personal life, pounce on the opportunity-even if you've told the story before. Feel free to devote several minutes into telling your story; ignore the increasingly awkward atmosphere.

2. Always interrupt whoever's talking

Sometimes your classmates will try to usurp your authority. You must not let this happen. Show them who's boss by cutting them off mid-sentence. Try to be modest by saying, "Well, this is only my opinion, but-," and "Yeah, I understand your view, but here's why you're gullible-" You can even stop them before they start. When your professor asks the class a question, jump in without raising your hand (your professor always seems to not notice your hand anyway). Your job is to educate your peers. If you won't do it, who else will?

3. If the professor has banned you from speaking, rely on other methods to get your opinion heard

If your commie professor decides that every voice must be heard, you can rebel in subtle ways. When another student talks, shake your head and mumble to yourself. If they say something you find to be ridiculous, start giggling. You can also grimace, roll your eyes, or shift uncomfortably in your chair. If your professor catches on to your clever tactics and tells you to stop, you should decide this class isn't worth your time. Play with your cell phone or take a nap.

4. When you leave during the lecture, make sure you walk right in front of the professor; do it again when you come back

Professors love this! You should consider it your duty to let your classmates and professors know you're leaving. While you're gone, discussion will come to a halt and ignorance will spread like wildfire. By leaving in such a visible way, the professor can plan for the ensuing chaos and perhaps even suspend class discussion until you return.

5. Enhance tip number four by coming in late every day

If you arrive on time, people may not even notice you're in class. Arrive five minutes late and everyone will see you come in. Those sighs you hear are just sighs of relief. They may pretend to hate you, but you know they love it when you talk.

6. Comment on the reading without knowing what you're talking about. If you get stuck, see tip number one

While lesser mortals may have to do the readings, you're practically a god in your field. Readings will only inhibit your natural curiosity and understanding of the world. You need to share your pure interpretation. To gain some credibility, mumble something about the text and then share your own opinions in your usual confident, boisterous manner.

7. On test day, grab a big bag of potato chips to munch on

On test day, the class suffers. They won't get to hear any of your opinions. Let them know you're still in the room by crunching loudly on some food. They'll be comforted by your presence.

8. Attack the author of your textbook

Professors love it when students realize that the writers of textbook are human and have their own biases and opinions. Take this one step further by making personal attacks against the authors. Depending upon your political persuasion, you should accuse them of either being a godless commie or a Jesus-freak fascist. Don't forget to throw around words such as "naive," "incompetent," and "sheeple."

9. Always correct your professors on everything

Professors were once innocent graduate students. It's not their fault they were brainwashed by the system. Gently correct them on everything, even on the three branches in the U.S. government (the fourth branch is the shadow government. That's where they keep the aliens and plot terrorist attacks). They may get annoyed, but it's your duty to stamp out misinformation.

10. Answer your cell phone

From time to time, you need to remind the class that you're doing them a favor and could be devoting time to worthier pursuits. Sometimes other students might get cheeky with you (jealousy is an ugly emotion). So, the next time your cell phone rings, answer it. Don't push it; professors have been known to go fully insane just when a cell phone rings (they were probably the victims of some twisted Pavlovian experiment at grad school). Keep it pithy: "Hey dude, I'm in class right now," laugh, "yeah that class. I'll catch up with you later." Hang up and pretend nothing just happened.

Conclusion

By following these ten tips, you may save your professors and fellow students from the vortex of ignorance and blind obedience (also known as the U.S. educational system). Your peers may not appreciate you now, but later on in life they'll realize just how lucky they were.

  • Share your worldly experience at all times.
  • Never hesitate to interrupt your classmates.
  • Pounce on ignorance like you're some kind of ignorance-pouncing ninja
Your classmates want to be interrupted. They may get huffy, but they're secretly glad when you correct them.

11 Comments

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  • Mike Hatz1/19/2010

    Now, this is a hoot! Seriously, these tips will also work for all those know-it-alls down at the plant or the office. Bosses LOVE these wunderkind-types every bit as much as professors do!

  • Darin Tripoli11/20/2008

    yeah this will absolutely work d:)

  • Joe Poniatowski11/17/2008

    I know people who must have read this, because they have these tips down to a "T".

  • Juniper11/15/2008

    Hilarious!

  • Sofya Blinder11/14/2008

    LOL, good one!

  • Geannie M. Bastian11/14/2008

    Very funny!

  • Tiffany B.11/13/2008

    This is a cute article, and you know that ther is always that one person in your class.

  • Nikki11/13/2008

    great approach :)

  • Solo Maverick11/13/2008

    hahaha. Very well written and so true. I like to be "that guy" even in my 230 plus lecture class. The teachers hubby wrote the text book we use... Its HORRIBLE! Out dated, filled with big words that could be eliminated, and not one picture. It is an exploring technology class, 2 credits, i have done more work in that class then all my other classes... I love being that guy and letting her know how much she sucks!

  • Sherry W11/13/2008

    LOL... #8 works even better when your prof wrote the textbook. ;)

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